The War's Effects on the Environment

The Vietnam War was more than just a war against the people of Vietnam, it was a war against the entire Vietnamese ecosystem. In 1947, half of the country of Vietnam was covered in tropical forests and two-fifths more were covered in grasslands. The forests of Vietnam are important, mainly because they protect the thin soils of the land from eroding due to heavy downpours of rain. They also affect the climate of Vietnam, by adjusting the temperature and humidity.

In some ways it can be seen as unfortunate that the Vietnam environment suffered such incredible damage from war. However, part of the U.S. strategy in the war was to destroy the forests, thus forcing the peasants of the surrounding areas into the cities. The plan was referred to as "Forced-draft Urbanization" and focused on continuous bombing of forested areas. It is approximated that about 40% of the forestry in the whole country suffered damage as a result of the bombings.

It was not simply explosives and napalm that were dropped on the forests. Many herbicides were also used to damage the plant-life, the most well-known being Agent Orange. Agent Orange is believed to cause cancer and birth defects in people, and areas in Vietnam today continue to make claims of issues arising from the use of the toxin. Herbicides affected the trees by either killing them, or destroying their foliage. Without the canopy as protection, the soil of the country was much more prone to erosion.

Deforestation continues to be a major issue that Vietnam faces. The destruction from the war cause the need for more trees to be cut down, in order to rebuild all of the structures that were lost. In 1988, only 21% of the country's surface was still covered in forested areas. Vietnam continues to feel the effects of the war years later.

Sources: "Vietnam: War and the Environment." Green Left. N.p., July 14, 1993. Web. .